Casket-holder.



PETER WALLRATH, OF OXFORD, MICHIGAN.

GASKET-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Applicatinn filed August 3l. 1906. Serial No. 332,759.

To all whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, PETER WALLRATH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oxford, county of Oakland, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Casket-Holders; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, 'which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to casket-holders.

It has for its object an improved holder adapted to be used as an exhibitor of a hori- Zontal casket and to be used as a holder for storing the same casket when turned to a nearly vertic al position.

In the drawing the holder is shown with the casket in horizontal position.

l indicates the base of a standard 2, which supports, telescoping within it, a forked terminal 3, arranged to be lifted and lowered by means of a lever 4. The lever is pivoted to a bracket carried on a sleeve 18, that turns on the upper end of the standard and is outside that portion of the standard in which the stem of the fork 3 engages. A hanging dog 5 engages against the top of the sleeve and holds the fork in its elevated position. The ends of the fork 3 extend to one side of the vertical axis of the standard and bring the pivotal connection between the fork and the bar at a proper distance from the foot end of the bar to allow the foot end of the bar to swing down clear of the base 1.

Pivoted to the terminals of the fork is a yoke 6, in which rests a T-bar 7, which forms the main rib or holding part of the table upon which the casket 8 rests. On the end 9 ofthe rib 7, 'which is considered the foot end, is a bracket 10, that rises and projects toward the opposite end to engage over the molding finish 11 on the casket and against the foot end of the casket. At the head end of the table is a cross-bar 12, that engages slidingly on the T-bar 7 under the head end of the casket 8. At the rear of the fork 3 is a stop 13, against which the T-bar comes to rest when in the position shown in the drawing. A brace 20 is pivoted to the rest and turns up to engage the T-bar in its inclined position.

A curved brace 15 is pivoted to the T-bar and engages through openings in the sleeve 18. Preferably the curved brace is double,

with the two members engaging through openings at each side of the sleeve outside the inner member of the standard. The brace 15 is provided with notches 19 20 21, that engage over lugs 16, and the brace is held from escaping from position by a setscrew 17 The standard should be low enough to bring the table upon which the casket rests to a height of about twentyeight inches, approximately the height of an ordinary table, and in order that a casket placed upon such a table may be swung to an inclined position approaching a vertical it is necessary either that the pivoted connection between the fork 3 and the bar 7 be placed close to the foot end of the table, that the foot end may swing clear of the floor and the legs of the base 1, or that the table itself be not only tilted, but raised. The latter is accomplished by the use of the telescoping standard herein described. After being raised and the parts secured in place the casket can then be swung to an inclined position, well balanced over the center of gravity of the standard, and the standard supporting the casket can be run back on the casters 22 against the wall of the exhibitionrooms.

What I claim is- 1. A casket-holder, having in combination a standard and provided with a forked terminal extending to one side of the vertical axis of said standard and a stop extending to the opposite side of said vertical axis, a bar engaging between said forks and pivotally connected thereto and adapted to swing away from and into engagement with said stop, substantially as described.

2. In a casket-holder, the combination of a base member, a standard rising therefrom, a supplemental supporting-piece telescoping therewithin, a table pivotally supported upon the upper portion of said supplemental part, a lifting-lever supported by a portion of the standard and adapted to engage against a portion of the supplemental part to raise the same relatively thereto, a pawl adapted to engage against the standard after said raising and to hold said supplemental portion of the table in raised position with respect thereto, being pivotally supported by said supplemental part, a pivoted brace-segment depending from said table and slidably engaging through said standard, means for iixing the same with respect thereto in any one of a variety of positions, and means carried IOO by that end of the table which it is intended to depress whereby the casket supported thereupon may be held in position with respect thereto, substantially as described.

3. A casket-holder, having in combination a standard, a support telescoping therein provided with forked terminals extending to one side of the vertical axis of said standard, a stop extending to the opposite side thereorl a bar engaging between said forks and pivotally connected thereto, a brace adapted to engage between the bar and a Yfixed part of said support, substantially as described.

4. A casket-holder, having in combination a base, a standard, a support engaging said standard, a table pivotally connected to said support at one side of the axis of said standard, a stop on the other side thereof means for lifting the support and the table connected thereto, a pawl adapted to hold the table, and support it in its lifted position, a curved brace member pivoted to said table and engaging through said standard and adapted to be held to said standard in any one of a plu rality of positions, substantially asv described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

PETER VALLRATH Witnesses MAY E. KOTT, CHARLES F. BURTON. 

